PoJK DPs forward memorandum of demands to Home Minister Shri Amit Shah

Jammu, July 23: Various delegations of Displaced Persons from the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Saturday called on Convener BJP Sharnarthi Cell Pt. Ashok Khajuria and handed over a memorandum with charter of demands for onward submission to the Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah ji.

These delegations included representatives from different refugee colonies and areas where PoJK DPs are residing i.e. Bhour Camp, Gadi Garh, Miran Sahib, Railway Line Patri, Rohi Morh, Badyal Brahamana, Mahakali Nagar, Ajit Singh Nagar. They submitted a memorandum with a charter of demands pertaining to welfare and socio-economic upliftment of the people of the Displaced Community.

The demands raised through the memorandum include setting up of Development Board for PoJK Refugees, political, educational and job reservation, special recruitment drive for the educated youth of the Displaced Community in the employment package of 10 lac jobs recently announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and special provision of reservation for the deserving students/ scholars from the displaced community in the professional colleges across India.

However, representatives of all the delegations laid special emphasis over the demand for de-freezing of 8-10 legislative assembly seats out of 24 reserved seats from PoJK for the Displaced Persons residing in Jammu and Kashmir.

For past 70 years, the PoJK DPs, who are the first and foremost victims of the partition, were subjected to the step motherly treatment by the successive governments in the State and Center until 2014 when the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government was installed at New Delhi and a much needed Relief and Rehabilitation Package for PoJK DPs was announced.

Now, when the Monsoon Session of Parliament is on, the PoJK DPs through the medium of this memorandum demand that the recent report of the J&K Delimitation Commission be tabled in the parliament and at least 8-10 seats in the J&K Legislative Assembly should be reserved for the Displaced Persons of POJK.

“Since the official claim of the GoI states that one third of the population had migrated during 1947 to the J&K and accordingly 24 Assembly seats have been kept on record for PoJK areas but the refugees have never been given political representation so far.

Now with the delimitation exercise of J&K completed, it is requested to the Government of India to kindly reserve 8-10 seats for the PoJK DPs so that the long delayed justice with the displaced community is delivered. Anything less than 8-10 reserved seats will be ineffectual to bring justice for the community who has been longing for this demand for the past 7 decades” they said.

Pt Ashok Khajuria, Convener BJP Sharnarthi Cell assured the delegates of highlighting these demands to the national leadership so that all their rightful and deserving demands will be fulfilled and justice is done with the displaced community.

Prominent among those representing delegations include Ex Sarpanch Vijay Sharma, Shri Pritam Lal Sharma Convener PoJKLF, Shri Rohit Khajuria District Convener BJP Sharnarthi Cell, Shri Pushkar Ishar, Shri Vikas Sharma, Shri Bharat Sharma, Pt Surinder Sharma, Shri Naresh Kumar Shastri, Shri Govind Raj, shri Pushp Khajuria, Shri Sahil Bakshi, S. Karamjeet Singh, Shri Aahuti Khajuria and Shri Deep Sharma.